Festivals Books

My sister and I used to repeatedly check this book out from the library when we were little. I'm 35 now and she's 31. I purchased this book for my 3 year old and we have read it every night since. There are no words to this story, so the adults can embelish upon the story in any way they choose. My daughter also loves to "read" this story on her own as she can tell the story just by looking at the pictures. The art work is beautifully done as well. My daughter laughs continuously throughout the story, especially when Nancy sits in the baptismal font and gets a wet bottom. This book is a must have for avid readers.

A charming wordless book with intricate, detailed illustrations. I checked these books out of the public library and my children enjoyed them immensely. I have been periodically checking Amazon.com for the past two years and I see that some of the books have been reprinted. Naughty Nancy kept my children entertained at age two. They loved to turn the pages to see what was behing the half page. Because there are no words, you can make up the story as long or as short as you wish. I think that young children can easily relate to the antics of Naughty Nancy. Nancy is allowed to be in her sister's wedding, but she gets into mischief constantly right up to the end when her sister leaves on her honeymoon!

As a child I loved this amusing tale of a mouse who gets to be a flower girl. Each scene changes with the flip of a half page which I found intriguing. As an adult, I once tried to find the book and it was out of print. I'm thrilled to see that it's back! Every child with a mischevious heart will enjoy this book. Nancy is naughty!

The Night Befoe Cat-Mas is a treasure for anyone who shares their life with a feline companion. It is beautifully illustrated, and the narrative is enjoyable.

This book is a take off of "The Night before Christmas" and is as dear as can be. A Purr..fect stocking stuffer for your friends who love felines.

This is an adorable parody of the story The Night Before Christmas. The illustrations are great, and the book is small enough to fit in your pocket. Not only that, it comes with a little charm that you can put on a bracelet.

This is a must read for any cat lover.

This is a simply gorgeous pop-up rendition of the familiar work. It is an instant classic in my house. My children (and I) are mesmerized by every single page.

Amazing. Fun. Inspiring. Curious. Dazzling. Great for the child in us all!

I don't much like Christmas any more. It mostly makes me crabby and wrinkled, like an old person, just at a time when I would most want to feel ebullient and charitible. Happily, there are moments each year when I feel young again and possessed of a wide-eyed sense of wonder. Reading Robert Sabudas pop-ups is one of them. This year, we are blessed with a new addition to Mr. Sabuda's Christmas series, The Night Before Christmas. I make this suggestion to all ye of Christmas weariness. First, buy The Night Before Christmas. Second, wait until you are alone to read it (you can share with children later--that's fun, too). Third, open the book to the the "reindeer" page, hold on to your socks, and prepare to be utterly charmed. It'll make a believer of you. Don't be surprised if you find yourself leaving milk and cookies out for the big guy this year! And, perhaps, believing in Angels bearing glad tidings.

Very entertaining book, gets you hooked on the author. I will be reading more. Protagonist extremely likeable and entertaining. Makes you laugh out loud.

This is my favorite humorous mystery series by one of my favorite British authors. Nick Madrid is a self-deprecating masterpiece of an unlikely investigative hero. Laugh out loud situations and rapid dialogue combine with a strong mystery to be solved. A great read.

Bridget, Frank and Nick fly from England to Montreal to cover the Just for Laughs Festival for different newspapers. While Nick is tied up in a yoga position, he sees a young woman flash past his hotel room window. He concludes she is a jumper who he later learns was Cissy Parker, a movie starlet. The police rule it an accidental death due to drugs, but Nick has doubts when Frank mentions he heard a man screaming at a woman on the eighteenth floor.

A reporter Julie informs Nick that she took pictures at a celebrity bash that Cissy attended. The starlet offered her a lot of money to buy the negatives, but Julie refused. One of the photos shows Cissy with an unidentified man. When Nick learns the victim was pregnant he concludes she was pushed. Not realizing the danger he causes to himself, his friends and others associated with Cissy on both sides of the ocean, Nick keeps digging as more homicides occurs.

In between murder, beatings, chases, air travel, NO LAUGHING MATTER contains amusing comical scenes, but the prime story line is the protagonist is drawn into a homicide investigation that he prefers to avoid. Once he begins making inquiries, he continues to the bitter end, which he realizes could be his death, in an effort too learn the identity of the mastermind behind the killings and the beatings he suffered. Talented Peter Guttridge provides a journalistic investigative mystery that stars a fine cast worthy of sequels.

Harriet Klausner

Noelle of the Nutcracker by Pamela Jane (with illustrations by the inimitable Jan Brett) is one of those books that I seem to have had forever. Copyrighted in 1986, my hardcover copy has been on my bedroom bookshelf since before I can remember. Needless to say that I did not remember much of the story. Happily, though, it is a fast read and I was able to finish it in a day. I dare say there are families somewhere who read this book every Christmas season the way others read Twas the Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol (if not, there should be).

There are two main characters in this book. One is a doll named Noelle and the other is a little girl, Ilyana. At the beginning of the story, the characters have one thing in common: they both think Noelle is wonderful.

When Ilyana and her second grade class go to visit Bugle's toy store, Ilyana is captivated by Noelle the beautiful ballerina doll that can stand in all five ballet positions and even has jointed knees and ankles. Ilyana knows her family could never afford such an expensive doll, which is fine. At least until spoiled Mary Jane decides vows that she'll get Noelle for Christmas from her rich father.

Unbeknownst to either little girl, Noelle doesn't want to be owned by anyone. While the other toys dream of being loved and held by real children, Noelle yearns to be discovered and become a dancer on stage. Noelle knows she is destined for fame when a man comes into Bugle's and buys Noelle to be a part of a production of the Nutcracker ballet. But, as Noelle painfully learns, being discovered doesn't always mean fame. And it almost never takes the place of being loved.

Noelle's story is intertwined seamlessly with Ilyana's and, to a lesser extent, Mary Jane's. As the girls get ready for their school pageant, it becomes clear that sometimes it takes more than money to make a wish come true. Sometimes, especially at Christmas, it also takes a little magic (and in this case maybe a few coincidences).

Sometimes when I read books with a child character they feel too young-I'm sure a child would enjoy them but sometimes I have a hard time relating to them on the same level of enjoyment. This book is not like that. The story is short and easy to follow, but it remained enjoyable for me reading it at the age of twenty-two. Jan Brett's illustrations also, of course, add a lot of dimension to the story (although being familiar with Brett's color-illustrated picture books I was a little sad to see the drawings were not in color). After reading the story and once again turning to the cover it's amazing to see how perfectly Brett captured Pamela Jane's vision of Noelle.

This is one of those classic Christmas stories (like the one that I mentioned earlier) that offers a nice shot of holiday spirit along with a message that's worth remembering all year.

Jan Brett is a wonderful author and, even more so, a phenomenal artist and illustrator. Her characters are playful and fun and easily loved by her young readers. My grandaughter's favourite, Annie and the Wild Animals, has been read a hundred times. I've collected a number of Jan Brett's books and hope to pass them on to my great grandchildren!!!

This is a book that makes you think back to your own childhood. To times that were simpler, sweeter, and full of dreams. The writing is a dream, and the story is perfect for the little girl on your Christmas list. What little girl today, even in the age of computers and scooters, doesn't love a doll, one, doll, a special doll, more than anything else? Pamela Jane captures the mystery of childhood, the dream of dance, and the promise of the imagination.

Not only does this little book have the wonderful traditional recipes of Norway and Norwegian Americans, it has a lot of terrific, older photos of Norwegian artifacts. For those who are researching Norwegian roots, this one is a gem.

Not only does this little book have the wonderful traditional recipes of Norway and Norwegian Americans, it has a lot of terrific, older photos of Norwegian artifacts. For those who are researching Norwegian roots, this one is a gem.

More than 90 Norwegian recipes, some more than 100 years old, are in this book. The recipes came to America from grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and others. All the recipes are authentic!

The 88-page book features 24 pages of color photography by Joan Liffring-Zug depicting folk arts, events and foods centering primarily on Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa.

Contributions of recipes come from all over the United States.

The book is dedicated "to all those who have helped to develop Vesterheim into one of the finest ethnic museums in America, where the descendants of Norwegian immigrants...can find the preservation on their heritage."

The author traces her husband's family for thirteen generations. His ancestors came from the island of Byroe, near Fister, Norway. Liffring-Zug tells of her Norwegian roots and of a grandfather who settled near Decorah, Iowa, and a great-uncle who died in the Civil War.

The cover photograph pictures Marilyn Skaugstad in her Norwegian grandmother's costume. Marilyn writes in the book: "Who would have thought as I sat with my elbows propped on grandma Olson's big kitchen table, watching her bake, that 40 years later I would be recalling her Norwegian heritage....With flour and dough frying, she told me about her summers as a little girl spent high in the mountains above the Sorfjorden Fjord making flatbread on an old wood-fired cookstove in a little cabin where she tended the sheep for her family. With her `letter' in hand, she came to America in the early 1900s and worked for a family in Wisconsin. Eventually she married my grandfather, Ole J. Olson, whose family also came from Norway. They farmed a beautiful big farm in Humboldt County, Iowa.

Stories of families are covered in the book along with their recipe contributions.

THE BOOK WAS GREAT. IT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. THERE WAS EVEN A SMALL METAL NUTCRACKER BOOKMARKER WITH RED RIBBON TO MARK THE PAGES. THE GRANDCHILDREN LOVED IT.

EAch year I purchase a music box and matching book for my niece, for Christmas. I am leary of ordering online for somehing I want to be very special. I was amazed at the quality of the cover, paper used , pictures...everything. It was a beautiful addition to her collection.

This book is a treasure. My 8 yr. old daughter danced in the Nutcracker Suite Ballet and I got this book for her in place of the traditional flowers for her outstanding performance and she LOVED it and has read it several times over. The art in the book is beautiful and it is truly an heirloom book to be handed down for generations.

Snappy dialogue and hilariously realistic body language bring to life a story that clearly illustrates the magic of a carefully crafted perspective. Generously sprinkled with subtle humour (for both adult and child), this is a year round family favourite.

Noel is performing in a ballet - as a tree. Envious of the child who is cast as a doll, she tries to weasel in as one, until she
talks to her ballet mistress. The wise and wisecracking mistress tells her to become a tree - to be happy as she is. Noel is transformed from an unhappy child to one who fulfills her dream of being a ballerina in a beautiful scene. A wonderful book full of imagery and real-life emotions of a child. Not necessarily a Christmas book!

My children and I just love this book. The children enjoy it because the story is compelling, the characters are interesting and the illustrations are evocative (although they would probably use different words). I enjoy it because the message is insightful and important for all of us: "If you lean fully into your life, no matter how ordinary it seems at any given moment, you'll find extraordinary beauty."

"Oh No, Not Ghosts!" finds a brother and younger sister still up at night while dad is sleeping as they try and remain quiet and not wake dad. But the brother soon gets the sister's active imagination up and running with his descriptions of ghosts, werewolves, witches, and skeletons. The story is told in a spirited rhyme as each monster described by the brother gets more and more terrifying and the sister gets more and more scared.

The brother parades about, pretending to be each of the frights as his sister stares wide-eyed and clings to her dolly. It's quite a humorous little tale and certainly most girls who had older brothers will be able to relate to being teased by their older sibling. It's a bit scary, but not too scary. Younger readers might need to hide a bit when the skeleton makes his appearance from the closet but it's all in good fun. My four and a half year-old enjoyed it quite a bit!

The story is written by Richard Michelson and it's a snappy tale with a quick cadence. Helping great are the illustrations by Adam McCauley. The illustration are bold and colorful and the brother, while telling his sister that there are no such things as ghosts and witches, still has a mischievous glint in his eye. He's clearly enjoying himself! A great book to read at Halloween but good enough to be enjoyed year round!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Whatever evolutionary requirement is served by the fiendish delight we derive from teasing -- or terrifying -- our siblings is served, without the damage, by this fabulous book. Its spooky, stylized illustrations and rhyming text are a great substitute for the terrorizing we don't let our girls do.

Simple, repetitive and fun. With dad asleep and the kids SUPPOSED to be sleeping, this sister and brother embark on a self-induced fright fest which leads them from one kiddie scare to the next...each one a bit more outrageous than the last. This is great for young children and those just starting out on their own with reading, it's one of those books that is very repetitive (the Oh No, Not... line is repeated though out the book and kids can predict what the next line is going to be and "get in" on the fun by reading along even if they can't read all the words...this makes it a good, fun, silly and light-hearted read (for a "scary" story) that kids from ages 2-8 (ish) will love. The illustrations are dark and suitably campy kind of scary that are great for kids of this age! I'd add this to my permanent collection for reading during the fall and most especially leading up to Halloween! I give it a sold A and both the kids loved this so much they had me read it twice, then Girl read it to Boy several more times with him chanting along...Oh, No, not... Simply a fun story!

We are big fans of Lark Carrier at our house. "On Halloween" arrived yesterday, and my four year old girl oooed and ahhed at every page. Lark's text is witty, and her illustrations are fun, and exciting. Creaking bones, cackling witches, and darting bats kept my children's attention. We love the book, and think it is a great alternative to candy to give to our special friends for Halloween.

My daughter-in-law received her books from Amazon today. I can't WAIT for mine to come Saturday. What fun the children and grandchildren will have with this one.

the interactive quality and vivid art should make this a solid hit with little trick-or-treaters. i can't wait to give it to the kids before we go out on our tour of the neighborhood for all those goodies. definitely a must buy.